


The Mating Song

by MiladyDragon



Series: Dragon-Verse: Pre-Series Stories [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dragon-Verse, F/M, Gen, Pre-Canon, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-03
Updated: 2012-02-03
Packaged: 2017-10-30 13:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/332280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiladyDragon/pseuds/MiladyDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a happy time for Draco Brennius Iohannes' family...his sister is being mated to Marcus in a ceremony that calls forth a power that gives young Iohannes a small glimpse into his own future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mating Song

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prequel to the Dragon-Verse, a retelling of Jack Harkness' tenure as leader of the Torchwood Institute and of his relationship with his Second, the ancient dragon known as Ianto Jones.

**_20 th day of Maius, in the Fifth Year of the Reign of Theodosius I, Emperor of Rome (20 May 384)_ **

****

The bonfires spaced around the village sent sparks dancing up toward the heavens as Iohannes made his way around and through the guests who’d come to his sister’s mating ceremony.  The young dragon couldn’t help but dance to the lively music being played near the center of the village; one of the many dragon-friends who had been invited joined him at one point, the girl letting him take her hand and spin her in a circle, while they both laughed in delight. 

Iohannes left his impromptu dance partner, threading around the rest of the pairs, toward the small village forum where he knew he could find the rest of his family.  Sure enough, he saw his father almost right off; the large dragon-in-man form was dressed in the style of the local clans, and he almost towered over the small group of people he was talking with.  Standing with him was Iohannes’ future brother, Marcus, who was in fact taller and broader than the elder dragon was, which didn’t seem possible. 

“– certain the Empire is in decay,” Marcus was saying, gesturing almost dramatically.  “I won’t be going back after the mating, since I don’t want to be recalled with the rest of the Roman army.”

“I’ve heard that the centurions on Hadrian’s Wall have already been recalled,” one of the group commented.

Marcus nodded.  “To fight with Maximus Magnus in his bid for power.  I don’t see the Emperor standing for it though.”

“That will leave us open to attacks from across the sea,” Brennius, Iohannes’ father, said, not looking happy.

“I know,” Marcus answered.  “But Rome is withdrawing into itself.  More and more, the generals fight amongst themselves.  It’s being said that, after Theodosius passes, the Empire will be split between his two sons.  That will make us even weaker.”

The young dragon really didn’t know much beyond the valley, being considered too young to travel on his own as yet.  Iohannes was interested in everything he could learn, though, and knew as much about the ephemeral Roman Empire as he could find out.  Usually he would have hung on every word, but he was on a mission. 

He approached his father, who smiled it him.  “I take it your mother sent you for me?”

Iohannes nodded.  “The priest is going to call the Great Dragons shortly.  She says that you and Marcus had better ‘get yourselves ready or else this mating is going to be late, and I won’t explain to Sabrina if that happens’.”

Marcus laughed.  “Does Viviana know just how well you imitate her?”

Brennius joined in the laughter.  “She’s the one who taught him!”

Iohannes grinned.  “She wanted to make certain I could get Father’s attention for her at any time.”

Marcus laughed again, and together the three of them left the small group and headed toward the lake that gave the valley – Draco Iakus – its name.  Iohannes’ family had lived there for millennia, and there had been a time when it looked as if they may have had to leave, once the Romans discovered silver and lead deposits in the mountains.  But somehow Draco Iakus was overlooked, and that made the residents quite happy.

They met Viviana on the way.  Iohannes’ mother was a tall, stately woman, dressed in local garb with flowers woven into her thick, dark hair.  There was a peaceful dignity about her, and she was smiling as she approached.  “I see Iohannes was able to pull you away from your political friends,” she said, softly chiding.

Brennius returned her smile. “You know me, love.”

“Indeed I do.  Now, it’s time to fetch your daughter down to the lake.  The master priest will be invoking the Great Dragons, and we don’t want to delay him.”

“I’m going.”  He leaned forward and rubbed his cheek against hers, in the dragon way of showing affection, then added a quick kiss to her lips for good measure.  Then he turned and strode toward the large marriage tent that had been set up at the edge of the village, where Sabrina would be awaiting her escort to the ceremony.

Iohannes was excited; he’d only seen the Invocation once before, during a funeral for one of his father’s friends almost two hundred years ago.  It was one of the most powerful of invocations, reserved only for matings and deaths.  To participate, the young dragon had had to learn a new song, and he couldn’t wait to be a part of the actual ceremony.

His mother took his arm, and he smiled at her.  “One day,” she said, “we’ll be celebrating your mating.  That will be a proud day for us, my son.”

Iohannes felt himself blushing. “I’m only four hundred and two, mother.”

Viviana laughed softly.  “And it seems like I was just giving birth to you.  Time flies, Iohannes.  Before you know it, you’ll be old enough to find your own way in the world.”

“I’ll always want to stay here,” he said stoutly, a little afraid of the outside beyond Draco Iakus, even as he couldn’t wait to see what lay beyond the valley.  He’d heard such stories, and they scared and excited him.

“You won’t always feel that way.  Now, come.  We have your sister to get mated.”

They walked, arm-in-arm, toward the lake, following Marcus as the older dragon made his way down to the area set up for the mating ceremony.  Iohannes couldn’t help but grin, his happiness for his sister combining with his own anticipation at watching the actual ritual itself.  He wanted to sing for Sabrina, and for Marcus. 

The grass leading down to the lakeside had been trimmed and prepared for the mating.  Four large, intricately carved wooden posts had been thrust into the ground at the cardinal points, and Iohannes knew each one signified one of the Great Dragons.  He’d helped in the carving, as part of the ritual itself calling for the family of the mating pair to participate in the cutting of the symbols of blessing.  As Marcus’ parents were long dead – killed in the mighty fire that had destroyed Pompeii – it had fallen to Sabrina’s kin to work the ceremonial posts.  They’d been more than happy to, since Marcus had become family even before he’d sought permission to pay court to Sabrina.

Green eyes watched as the clearing began to fill with celebrants, and he smiled.




“Welcome,” his sonorous voice echoed throughout the throng, sending a pleasant thrill through Iohannes’ chest.  “We are here to celebrate the mating of Draco Brennius Sabrina, and of Draconnis Canicus Marcus Germanicus, as known by their ephemeral names.  Who brings the bride forward?”

“I do,” Brennius’ voice answered.  “I, Draco Catigernus Brennius, her father.” 

He stepped forward, Iohannes’ sister Sabrina on his arm.  She was dressed in the Roman fashion, in order to honor her mate’s heritage, her hair in an intricate design with gemstones woven within the dark strands.  Together, father and daughter moved toward the priest until they stood just outside the circle, both bowing to the elder dragon. 

“Welcome,” the priest greeted once more.  “Do you give the child of your clan unto the male, Draconnis Canicus Marcus Germanicus of your own free will?”

“I do,” Brennius answered once more. 

“Then let the would-be mate step forward.”

Marcus did, standing just beside Brennius. 

“Do you, Draconnis Canicus Marcus Germanicus, take Draco Brennius Sabrina into your own clan, to honor her as your mate, to protect her, to avenge her, and to love her for eternity?”

“I do,” Marcus said, his voice low in respect.

“And do you, Draco Brennius Sabrina, take Draconnis Canicus Marcus Germanicus into your clan, to honor him as your mate, to protect him, to avenge him, and to love him for eternity?”

“I do.”  Sabrina’s voice was pure, and rang like a bell over the assembled witnesses.

“Then step into the circle and we shall Invoke the Great Dragons to bless this mating.”

Sabrina and Marcus did, each transforming into their dragon forms as they did.  Marcus was a large red dragon, his scales glittering like raw rubies; Sabrina had gotten her color from both her parents, blue and green combining to form an aqua the shade of the lake itself. 

The priest greeted them each with a hug, then turned to the first of the posts.  “Let us begin.”

The gathering began to hum softly, a single note that tingled pleasantly in Iohannes’ throat.  Already he could feel the power building, just in that one sound.

“I call upon the Dragon of Fire, who keeps the soul of the Earth burning brightly within her mighty claws, bless this mating with the warmth of comfort and love.”

The post began to glow softly, a red light that tinted the priest’s scales like a pink blush.  The faint outline of a dragon, even redder than Marcus, curled about the post itself, flame curling from its jaws.

The priest turned to the second of the posts.  “I call upon the Dragon of Air, who keeps the breath of the Earth flowing from her great wings, bless this mating with the breeze of laughter and understanding.”

That post also began to glow, and yet another dragon-shape appeared, this one soft blue, its wings unfurled.  A slight wind begun to kick up, ruffling Iohannes’ hair and clothes.

“I call upon the Dragon of Water, who keeps the life of the Earth flowing through his veins, bless this mating with the lifeblood of peace and fertility.”

The third dragon was Sabrina’s own color, scales shining like the finest aquamarines, and a spring opened up under its rear claws, the water pooling at the center of the circle.

“And, finally, I call upon the Dragon of Earth, the mightiest of us all, who brought the first of our race out of the darkness of ignorance and despair, and who keeps the bones of the Earth from shattering, bless this mating with the strength to endure all that may test it.”

The fourth dragon didn’t appear as the previous three had.  Iohannes could feel it though; a deep pulsing through his entire being that was like the heartbeat of something ancient and primordial, and it took control of the single note he’d been humming all this time, shaping it into something much more than just an accompaniment.

The song rose within him, and he had no choice but to sing.

He wasn’t the only one.  Everyone in the crowd seemed to be under the control of the most powerful of the Great Dragons, and the song rang out over the valley like a benediction.  It wasn’t the one that he’d learned in preparation for the ceremony; it rose from the Earth itself, from the Great Dragon herself, and it was a blessing to everyone there.

Iohannes was transported to somewhere else.  It was another sky, an unfamiliar one, with trees that were old, but not as old as the ones of the valley.  He was in dragon form, and another dragon was with him: this one gray-blue, with laughing blue eyes that looked at him with love, that teased him up into the blue sky, daring him to follow.  Iohannes did so, twisting and turning on the thermals, moving higher and higher into the sky until the blue had darkened into indigo, and the stars could be seen. 

He felt it then: he belonged with this dragon. 

This was his mate.

The young dragon blinked, and was brought back to the ceremony.  The song was changing into the one he’d learned, as Sabrina and Marcus took their mating flight into the rising sun, chasing each other into the sky, their bodies entwining as the power of the ceremony still worked within them. 

“Why are you crying?” his mother asked him gently, as the song diminished.

Iohannes hadn’t even realized that he had been.  He wiped the tears away, smiling.  “I saw him, mother.”

Viviana looked confused.  “Saw who, sweeting?’

“My mate.  I saw him, in the song.  I saw my mate.”

“That has been known to happen,” Brennius said, joining his mate and son.  “The power of the Earth Dragon is very strong.”

“Did you recognize him?’ Viviana said, touching his face with her long-fingered human hand.

“No, as far as I know I’ve never met him before.”

“Then you will, and when you see him, you’ll know who he is,” his father replied.  “And he will be welcome in our family.”  He chuckled.  “Just not too soon, all right?  You’re still too young to even think about a mating.”

Iohannes rolled his eyes.  “I know, father.  Don’t worry…I get the feeling this isn’t going to happen for a while yet.  But I’ll tell you when it does.”

“Good.”  Brennius wrapped his arms around his family.  “Now, let’s go and prepare for Sabrina and Marcus’ return.  They’ll be hungry after their flight.”

Iohannes and his parents headed toward the large tent, where the mating meal would be prepared.  He glanced back up into the sky; he couldn’t see either his sister or new brother any more.  He smiled as he thought about his own mating flight one day.

And he began to sing, the same song that had come from the Earth Dragon.  A song that he would remember for all of his days.

 


End file.
